10/09: Here We Go...
Posted by: Patrick
Sheffield had this to say in USA TODAY:
Wow. Now, I've always said I liked Sheffield and part of me certainly does, but come on here. He's not coming back - he wasn't anyway, not with Damon, Abreu, Matsui and Melky on this roster - so I say good bye, thank him for his contributions and wish him good luck.
We as fans don't know much first hand. We know what we see with our own eyes on TV, we know what the media and other people tell us. That's pretty much it. But, if there is one thing that I believe, and a major, major reason Joe Torre has managed in New York for so long, it is that he treats his players with respect. To say "you would like to be treated with a little respect" is an insult. Sheffield has got nothing but support from the Yankees. And for him to say such a thing because of him being benched in one game and Jason being benched in another with A-Rod slid to the 8th spot is unbelievably short sighted and unreasonable.
Via Steve.
"I think that [A-Rod being lowered to the 8th spot] affected the morale and psyche of the entire team, not just A-Rod," Sheffield said. ""I'm not making any excuses, but everyone was wondering what was going on. It made it a real weird day. You would like to be treated with a little respect, I don't care who you play for. ...
We were worrying about all of that stuff, and we still had a game to play. If I'm on the other side, and all of a sudden they're putting Rodriguez eighth and putting me or Jason on the bench, you wonder what's going on.
We were worrying about all of that stuff, and we still had a game to play. If I'm on the other side, and all of a sudden they're putting Rodriguez eighth and putting me or Jason on the bench, you wonder what's going on.
Wow. Now, I've always said I liked Sheffield and part of me certainly does, but come on here. He's not coming back - he wasn't anyway, not with Damon, Abreu, Matsui and Melky on this roster - so I say good bye, thank him for his contributions and wish him good luck.
We as fans don't know much first hand. We know what we see with our own eyes on TV, we know what the media and other people tell us. That's pretty much it. But, if there is one thing that I believe, and a major, major reason Joe Torre has managed in New York for so long, it is that he treats his players with respect. To say "you would like to be treated with a little respect" is an insult. Sheffield has got nothing but support from the Yankees. And for him to say such a thing because of him being benched in one game and Jason being benched in another with A-Rod slid to the 8th spot is unbelievably short sighted and unreasonable.
Via Steve.
10/09: Blame Derek
Posted by: Patrick
Steve has a picture of today's New York Daily News, which features this article. The headline on the front cover? "Blame Derek."
This is all very laughable to me. Blame Derek? lol. "... who wouldn't use his name for fear of crossing Jeter." What is this? The Jeter mafia?! More like, he's afraid of what we would think of him for saying such a thing.
It is no news bulletin that A-Rod wants to be liked, accepted, loved, however you want to say it, by his teammates, especially Jeter. And the captain hasn't budged on the matter, to the point where an ex-teammate, who wouldn't use his name for fear of crossing Jeter, said yesterday it creates a certain tension at times.
"He won't let Alex in," the former Yankee said of Jeter. "Everyone in there knows it, and it bothers Alex and impacts the clubhouse."
The result seems to be a negative energy that reveals itself in times of crisis, such as the collapse against the Tigers. Where the Paul O'Neill-Tino Martinez championship teams were inspired by their bond as brothers in arms to play fearlessly, with a joyful all-for-one commitment, it's no coincidence that this group of Yankees has played with fear and uncertainty when pushed in the playoffs the last three years.
"He won't let Alex in," the former Yankee said of Jeter. "Everyone in there knows it, and it bothers Alex and impacts the clubhouse."
The result seems to be a negative energy that reveals itself in times of crisis, such as the collapse against the Tigers. Where the Paul O'Neill-Tino Martinez championship teams were inspired by their bond as brothers in arms to play fearlessly, with a joyful all-for-one commitment, it's no coincidence that this group of Yankees has played with fear and uncertainty when pushed in the playoffs the last three years.
This is all very laughable to me. Blame Derek? lol. "... who wouldn't use his name for fear of crossing Jeter." What is this? The Jeter mafia?! More like, he's afraid of what we would think of him for saying such a thing.
10/08: Thank You
Posted by: Patrick
With the 2006 season at it's end, I wanted to take a moment to say a few things.
Thank you to everyone who visits and supports YanksBlog.com. Thank you to everyone who comments in a productive, respectful manner. We appreciate it.
Thank you to my team of bloggers: David, James, Jason and Seamus. Congratulations on a great year guys. Also, congratulations to all of the other Yankee bloggers out there, as well.
I know that right now, we are recovering from the loss to the Tigers, but soon, the offseason will begin and that is always an exciting time for Yankees fans. We'll continue to have Yankees news and commentary here at YanksBlog.com and we have a couple of cool features, as well, in the works. So, keep checking back and before you know it - pitchers and catchers will be reporting.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you to everyone who visits and supports YanksBlog.com. Thank you to everyone who comments in a productive, respectful manner. We appreciate it.
Thank you to my team of bloggers: David, James, Jason and Seamus. Congratulations on a great year guys. Also, congratulations to all of the other Yankee bloggers out there, as well.
I know that right now, we are recovering from the loss to the Tigers, but soon, the offseason will begin and that is always an exciting time for Yankees fans. We'll continue to have Yankees news and commentary here at YanksBlog.com and we have a couple of cool features, as well, in the works. So, keep checking back and before you know it - pitchers and catchers will be reporting.
Thank you for reading.
10/08: As Woody Allen said...
Posted by: Jason
..."tradition is the illusion of permanence."
Our ongoing collective illusion for 6 years is that the team only needs a few minor tweaks in order to win #27.
6 years.
Today, the New England Patriots played about as ugly as possible against the Miami Dolphins, an inferior opponent...and won by 10 points. The difference between championship franchises (like the Pats) and merely very good teams (like the Yankees) is that champions find a way to win.
In my opinion, everything (and everyone) is on the table. Torre, Rodriguez, Sheffield, Mussina, Giambi...everyone.
The team's culture must be changed.
Our ongoing collective illusion for 6 years is that the team only needs a few minor tweaks in order to win #27.
6 years.
Today, the New England Patriots played about as ugly as possible against the Miami Dolphins, an inferior opponent...and won by 10 points. The difference between championship franchises (like the Pats) and merely very good teams (like the Yankees) is that champions find a way to win.
In my opinion, everything (and everyone) is on the table. Torre, Rodriguez, Sheffield, Mussina, Giambi...everyone.
The team's culture must be changed.
Posted by: Patrick
Yeah, there is a lot of talk about firing Joe Torre and trading Alex Rodriguez. For the record, I'm not on board with either move. There are reports that Torre is "likely" to be fired. And a million articles elsewhere suggest A-Rod is going to be or should be traded.
Cashman has this to say:
As far as Torre, Mark Feinsand says it well:
I don't really have anything to add there.
As far as A-Rod, I'll go with Benjamin Kabak:
I have a bunch to say here. We're looking at one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. And we've got him. And a number of people want him traded. Are you aware of his numbers? In the AL, who was 5th in runs, T8 in home runs, 4th in RBIs and 9th in OBA? Alex Rodriguez. That's some kind of off year. How many Yankee third baseman have had this line in a season or better: .290 AVG, 113 R, 35 HR, 121 RBI, .392 OBA. If someone knows or wants to run those numbers, I'm curious.
But, this is the funny part, for me. He hit .302 with a .431 OBA with runners in scoring position. He hit .313 with a .495 OBA with runners in scoring position and 2 outs. He hit .474 with a .500 OBA with the bases loaded. I'm actually surprised to read these last 3 sets of numbers. From everything that so many people have been saying, I was thinking he'd be worse. Do you realize that all 3 sets of numbers (both average and OBA) are better than David Ortiz's numbers in those 3 situations? Yes, better. Forget money (even though he is a steal for us at $16 million), talk about production. He's doing it.
Yeah, he's 3 for 29 in the last 2 postseason series and yes, that is bad. The postseason is important to me, too. But, to send one of the greatest players ... not just in the game, but ever ... away based upon literally 2 to 2 1/2 post season series is crazy. It's too small a sample size. He has officially had 2 straight bad postseason series in a row, as far as I am concerned. In the Red Sox one, he hit .258 with a .378 OBA. Great? No. But, bad? No. This is the postseason, it gets harder than the regular season, not easier. Great players have bad postseason series'. They are human and it's natural (do I actually have to say this?). But, X Great Player is not gonna hit .280 in every postseason series. Chances are, he hits less. Regardless of how much money is being paid to him.
But, this isn't some average player or a bit above average player playing poorly in New York. This is Alex Rodriguez. If we get ANY other third basemen in the game, we'll have taken a step down at that position. There is no one in the game right now that is better than Alex Rodriguez. I liked Scott Brosius a lot. Good guy. Would I take him over A-Rod? Absolutely not. He got some big hits and I'll always remember him. But, he is not Alex Rodriguez. And he'd tell you that himself, I'm sure. He was a career .245 postseason hitter with a .278 OBA, by the way. But, yes, he was a career .333 World Series hitter with a .333 OBA, 4 HR and 13 RBI in 20 games and yes, that is very good (except for the OBA, but who cares, really, with the other numbers).
Will these things happen? I don't know. But, regardless, I don't want them to.
Cashman has this to say:
When asked about the possibility of the 2007 Yankees not including either Rodriguez or Torre, Cashman dismissed the idea.
"Why wouldn't they be coming back," Cashman said. "That's not something that I'm even thinking about."
"Why wouldn't they be coming back," Cashman said. "That's not something that I'm even thinking about."
As far as Torre, Mark Feinsand says it well:
I don't know how you blame Torre for this loss. He put a lineup of nine All-Stars out there and they couldn't hit. He put a future Hall of Famer on the mound and he got hit for five runs. He watched a player destined to break Hank Aaron's home run record go 1-for-14. Did he motivate the team enough? He shouldn't have to. These guys are well-paid professionals, and if it takes their manager to tell them how big these games are, ship them out of town.
Still, someone has to take the fall. I think it will be Joe. If and when it happens, it will be the darkest day since I started covering this team. With one year left on his contract, he deserves to finish it out and leave on his own terms.
Still, someone has to take the fall. I think it will be Joe. If and when it happens, it will be the darkest day since I started covering this team. With one year left on his contract, he deserves to finish it out and leave on his own terms.
I don't really have anything to add there.
As far as A-Rod, I'll go with Benjamin Kabak:
Nice work, New York. You’ve managed to drive future Hall of Famer Alex Rodriguez out of the city and away from this team despite the fact that he’s hit .299/.396/.549 with 119 HR and 357 RBIs as a member of the New York Yankees. Do you think A-Rods just grow on trees? Do you think we can easily replace that offensive production? You might not think that A-Rod comes through “in the clutch,” but find me other players who have created 381 runs over a three-year stretch.
I have a bunch to say here. We're looking at one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. And we've got him. And a number of people want him traded. Are you aware of his numbers? In the AL, who was 5th in runs, T8 in home runs, 4th in RBIs and 9th in OBA? Alex Rodriguez. That's some kind of off year. How many Yankee third baseman have had this line in a season or better: .290 AVG, 113 R, 35 HR, 121 RBI, .392 OBA. If someone knows or wants to run those numbers, I'm curious.
But, this is the funny part, for me. He hit .302 with a .431 OBA with runners in scoring position. He hit .313 with a .495 OBA with runners in scoring position and 2 outs. He hit .474 with a .500 OBA with the bases loaded. I'm actually surprised to read these last 3 sets of numbers. From everything that so many people have been saying, I was thinking he'd be worse. Do you realize that all 3 sets of numbers (both average and OBA) are better than David Ortiz's numbers in those 3 situations? Yes, better. Forget money (even though he is a steal for us at $16 million), talk about production. He's doing it.
Yeah, he's 3 for 29 in the last 2 postseason series and yes, that is bad. The postseason is important to me, too. But, to send one of the greatest players ... not just in the game, but ever ... away based upon literally 2 to 2 1/2 post season series is crazy. It's too small a sample size. He has officially had 2 straight bad postseason series in a row, as far as I am concerned. In the Red Sox one, he hit .258 with a .378 OBA. Great? No. But, bad? No. This is the postseason, it gets harder than the regular season, not easier. Great players have bad postseason series'. They are human and it's natural (do I actually have to say this?). But, X Great Player is not gonna hit .280 in every postseason series. Chances are, he hits less. Regardless of how much money is being paid to him.
But, this isn't some average player or a bit above average player playing poorly in New York. This is Alex Rodriguez. If we get ANY other third basemen in the game, we'll have taken a step down at that position. There is no one in the game right now that is better than Alex Rodriguez. I liked Scott Brosius a lot. Good guy. Would I take him over A-Rod? Absolutely not. He got some big hits and I'll always remember him. But, he is not Alex Rodriguez. And he'd tell you that himself, I'm sure. He was a career .245 postseason hitter with a .278 OBA, by the way. But, yes, he was a career .333 World Series hitter with a .333 OBA, 4 HR and 13 RBI in 20 games and yes, that is very good (except for the OBA, but who cares, really, with the other numbers).
Will these things happen? I don't know. But, regardless, I don't want them to.
Posted by: Seamus
Hmm, not really sure what to say about this one. The Yankees' lineup failed to show up for the second consecutive day as the Yankees lost 8-3, ending what could've been on of their most refreshing seasons in the Joe Torre era.
It got ugly early as Magglio Ordonez led off the bottom of the 2nd with a home run and Craig Monroe added a two-run shot of his own later in the inning, putting the Tigers up 3-0. An error by Alex Rodriguez would eventually cost the Yankees a run in the 4th and Detroit lit up the scoreboard for 3 more in the 5th to put the Yankees in a 7-0 hole before the Bombers even put a runner on base.
The Yankees didn't put a runner on until Robinson Cano led off the 6th inning with a single and didn't get much offense aside from that. Hideki Matsui recorded an RBI on a fielder's choice and Posada's two-run homer was too little, too late as there were already two outs in the 9th inning.
Well, now it begins. An offseason of hearing "Trade A-Rod" everywhere we go and it looks like Joe Torre might be out. Honestly I hope that the Yankees don't do anything too drastic. A little pitching can help, but I don't really think what happened the last few days was the result of a personnel issue. When it comes down to it, anybody can win a 5-game series.
It got ugly early as Magglio Ordonez led off the bottom of the 2nd with a home run and Craig Monroe added a two-run shot of his own later in the inning, putting the Tigers up 3-0. An error by Alex Rodriguez would eventually cost the Yankees a run in the 4th and Detroit lit up the scoreboard for 3 more in the 5th to put the Yankees in a 7-0 hole before the Bombers even put a runner on base.
The Yankees didn't put a runner on until Robinson Cano led off the 6th inning with a single and didn't get much offense aside from that. Hideki Matsui recorded an RBI on a fielder's choice and Posada's two-run homer was too little, too late as there were already two outs in the 9th inning.
Well, now it begins. An offseason of hearing "Trade A-Rod" everywhere we go and it looks like Joe Torre might be out. Honestly I hope that the Yankees don't do anything too drastic. A little pitching can help, but I don't really think what happened the last few days was the result of a personnel issue. When it comes down to it, anybody can win a 5-game series.
Posted by: James
Here's the story from ESPN:
I have to head to church but chew on that for a while. What do you think? At this point, I have a few conflicting emotions - I'll try to get them up here later. Remember that at this point, this is just rumor and speculation. Take it with a grain of salt.
Update: Here are Pete A.'s thoughts on the situation.
According to the New York Daily News, however, the popular Yankees manager will be fired unless he decides to resign first to save face. Sources told the newspaper that former Yankees player and manager Lou Piniella will be owner George Steinbrenner's choice to replace Torre.
I have to head to church but chew on that for a while. What do you think? At this point, I have a few conflicting emotions - I'll try to get them up here later. Remember that at this point, this is just rumor and speculation. Take it with a grain of salt.
Update: Here are Pete A.'s thoughts on the situation.
10/07: The Storm Before the Calm
Posted by: James
All of Yankee-dom seems to be in a huge state of upheaval. People calling for A-Rod's head, Torre's brains, and for someone to show a little heart.
Whatever.
At this point, I honestly don't care about that sort of talk. At least not right now. If the Yanks lose today or tomorrow, we'll have a whole off-season to ponder those questions. Let’s wait until the emotion of these games die down before thinking of solutions to the problems the Yankees have.
At the moment, let's you and I concentrate on being fans. This is postseason baseball in all its inherent unpredictability and these are the same guys you've been watching and cheering for 165 games. The team obviously has flaws but like it or not, this is the team we love… and they'll be playing for their season. It'll be Jaret Wright (and if he falters, everyone else save Wang on the roster) in Game 4 and Chien-Ming in Game 5.
"We play today, we win today. Das it."
Let's Go Yankees.
Whatever.
At this point, I honestly don't care about that sort of talk. At least not right now. If the Yanks lose today or tomorrow, we'll have a whole off-season to ponder those questions. Let’s wait until the emotion of these games die down before thinking of solutions to the problems the Yankees have.
At the moment, let's you and I concentrate on being fans. This is postseason baseball in all its inherent unpredictability and these are the same guys you've been watching and cheering for 165 games. The team obviously has flaws but like it or not, this is the team we love… and they'll be playing for their season. It'll be Jaret Wright (and if he falters, everyone else save Wang on the roster) in Game 4 and Chien-Ming in Game 5.
"We play today, we win today. Das it."
Let's Go Yankees.
Posted by: James
The season, to this point, will come down to Jaret Wright on the hill against the Tigers' young hurler Jeremy Bonderman. Bonderman is 0-2 against the Yankees this year while Wright won his only start against the Tigers.
Game time...scratch that...do-or-die time is 4:00 Eastern on Fox.
Bring the Pepto...I'll bring the Tums.
Game time...scratch that...do-or-die time is 4:00 Eastern on Fox.
Bring the Pepto...I'll bring the Tums.
10/05: Dick Groch
Posted by: Patrick
George King has an article on Dick Groch, the scout who discovered our man Jeter:
Via Pride of the Yankees.
By now the story is legendary throughout the Yankee universe. Bill Livesey, the Yankee minor-league head, called a meeting of scouts to discuss whom the Yankees were going to take with the sixth pick in the 1992 draft.
"Jeter,'' Groch said emphatically.
"We hear he is going to [the University of] Michigan,'' Livesey countered.
"My [butt] he is,'' Groch shot back. "The only place Jeter is going is to Cooperstown.''
"Jeter,'' Groch said emphatically.
"We hear he is going to [the University of] Michigan,'' Livesey countered.
"My [butt] he is,'' Groch shot back. "The only place Jeter is going is to Cooperstown.''
Via Pride of the Yankees.
